


Of Coffee And Magic

by kiyala



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-25
Updated: 2015-02-25
Packaged: 2018-03-15 04:51:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3434225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiyala/pseuds/kiyala
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Combeferre is one of the best coffee wizards around, and Courfeyrac is a regular.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Coffee And Magic

The morning rush is busy as ever and the line might be long, but Combeferre can handle it. His customers come to him because they know that he's good at what he does, and he's efficient.

There are five coffee orders making themselves with only a little bit of Combeferre's magic nudging them along. He's guiding a knife through the air, cutting a fresh loaf of banana bread into pieces for Cosette to serve, while keeping an eye on the cake he has in the oven.

Cosette handles the customers, because chatting with them for long enough means breaking Combeferre's concentration and without his concentration, he doesn't have enough control over his magic. Cosette might say that the customers are only here for how well Combeferre works, but he knows that's not true. Not with her sweet smile, or the way she asks after their customers' friends and family, or the way that her magic hangs in the air, making it feel like they're out in the middle of a garden with a gentle breeze, not a two-storey building older than their ages combined.

The upstairs section is still closed, because they only have their usual takeaway crowd at the moment, on their way to work. There's a customer sitting down here or there in the downstairs area, but the second floor won't open until Jehan arrives, their plants hanging in the open space between the two floors becoming animated, responding to every small movement their caretaker makes.

"Combeferre," Cosette calls out. "It's ten past eight."

"Right," he replies, finishing the coffees and handing them to the customers, gesturing at the cake in the over so that it will see itself onto the cooling rack. He starts the next five coffee orders as the cake cools and Cosette takes care of pulling food out of their display cabinet for customers instead of giving Combeferre space to do it. "Thanks."

At precisely twelve past eight, Courfeyrac walks through the door. Combeferre reaches for the fifth coffee cup, which threatens to topple over as he looks up. Courfeyrac smiles at him, and the milk in the frother starts stirring counter-clockwise.

It's worse when Courfeyrac reaches the counter and if Combeferre's skin wasn't so dark, he'd be blushing. 

"Combeferre, my absolute favourite person at this time of the morning! And Cosette, of course, unfailingly lovely as always."

"Good morning, Courfeyrac," Combeferre greets warmly. "The usual?"

"You ask, but I can see that you've already started making it." Courfeyrac winks. "I'll change my order this afternoon, just to catch you out. Just you wait."

"Let me guess, some kind of syrupy abomination that will taste better than it has any right to." Combeferre grins. "I'll be ready for whatever you decide to throw at me."

"You always are." Courfeyrac's expression softens into something fond and Combeferre nearly spills all five cups he's working on. "And please, don't pretend that you have nothing to do with how good my drinks taste. You're the best coffee wizard out there."

"Your coffee," Combeferre says, pressing the cup into Courfeyrac's soft hands. "I'll see you this afternoon."

He gives his other customers their coffee too and a middle-aged woman smiles at him. 

"Are you dating him yet, dear?"

"No," Cosette answers for him, sighing heavily. "Tragic as that is."

"Cosette," Combeferre protests, as their customer laughs. He lowers his voice as the customers leave with their orders, giving them a small break. "He likes my coffee. And cake. That's all."

"Sweetie, he works on the opposite side of town and he comes to you twice a day."

"Comes to _us_. For coffee. And cake." Combeferre's eyes narrow. "Wait, how do you know he works on the other side of town? I didn't know that."

Cosette's eyes go wide. "Oh, did I say that? I don't remember saying that."

" _Cosette_ …" Combeferre begins, but then they get a new crowd of customers to focus on. He frowns at her. "Don't think I'm going to forget about this. Or stop asking."

—«·»—

True to his word, Combeferre doesn't drop the subject. Unfortunately, Cosette reveals nothing, giving him a knowing smile and refusing to even speak. It's frustrating, and no matter how persistent Combeferre is, he doesn't get anywhere. He considers asking Jehan when they arrive at the café but they're the most inscrutable person Combeferre knows. He'd have better luck with Cosette.

She takes pity on him in the lull after the lunch rush, when they're clearing tables and Jehan is at the counter to take care of any customers that walk in. She gestures at the plates, making them float towards the sink, where Combeferre's magic already has them washing themselves. 

"I'll give you a hint," she says, walking over to his side.

Combeferre raises an eyebrow. "Oh? About that thing you don't know anything about?" 

She gives him a sheepish smile. "You'll find out more this afternoon."

"Is that your hint?" Combeferre asks with a sigh. He checks the time—it's half past two. Another hour until Courfeyrac returns for his usual afternoon break. "I don't think you've made me any less curious. I'm going to start decorating those cakes on the cooling rack."

He isn't particularly annoyed at Cosette, because it's difficult to annoy him and it's even more difficult to be annoyed at Cosette. He's just not particularly fond of not knowing what's going on and if nothing else, he definitely knows that _something_ is going on.

He gets his answer, as promised, at half past three when Courfeyrac walks through the door. There's another man with him and for one terrible moment, Combeferre's heart sinks with dread. Then his eyes widen with recognition.

"Cosette," he says quietly, "is that your fiancé?"

She beams at him in reply, walking around the counter to go and greet Marius with a kiss on the cheek. Courfeyrac, almost at the counter, pauses and gives them an odd look before turning back to Combeferre.

"Did your colleague just kiss my colleague?"

"My colleague is _engaged_ to your colleague," Combeferre replies, suddenly thinking back to every time that he's pined to Cosette about Courfeyrac, and suddenly no longer feeling confident that she's kept it to herself.

"Oh," Courfeyrac says quietly. "Oh dear."

"Is everything okay?" Combeferre asks, because Courfeyrac is beginning to look pale.

"Everything's great! I'm finally meeting Marius' fiancée, like I've been asking for months. Except I've already met her and _wow_ , they're actually pretty perfect for each other. That's a really nice thing to think about, instead of how Marius has probably told Cosette everything. He—oh wow—he actually told me once that he told his fiancée about my—oh, and he said she thought it was _cute_. They're both evil, Combeferre."

"None of that made any sense," Combeferre replies. "Would you like some coffee? Coffee makes sense."

"I think I would like some cake, actually—ooh, is that one a strawberry sponge cake? My favourite!"

Combeferre raises an eyebrow. "Yesterday, your favourite was blueberry cheesecake." 

With a soft laugh, Courfeyrac looks up at him. "It's not the type of cake that makes it my favourite, silly. It's the fact that it's made by you. Did you know that your magic has a distinct taste? I can't really describe it, but when I drink my coffee, or when I eat one of your cakes, it's there and I can tell it's been made by you."

"Oh." Combeferre blinks. "Is that why you keep coming back?"

With a sigh, Courfeyrac rubs a hand over his mouth and gives Combeferre a serious look. "Okay, I'm going to tell you this before you hear it from Marius or from Cosette, if you haven't already?"

"Is this about you working on the opposite side of town to where our café is?"

"This is about me working on the opposite side of town, and coming to see you twice a day, and it only having a little to do with how good everything you make tastes, and a lot to do with the fact that I have this really ridiculous crush on you. I might have yelled about it to Marius at least once. Definitely once."

"I can confirm that," Marius says cheerfully from where he's standing in Cosette's arms. 

"And I'm sure that Cosette will happily confirm that I've done the same, only perhaps a little quieter," Combeferre says, giving Courfeyrac a nervous grin. "So there's that."

"Combeferre, why don't you take an afternoon break?" Jehan calls from upstairs, where they're tending to their hanging pot plants. "You so rarely do, and there's this lovely corner upstairs where you can sit with Courfeyrac."

"That sounds pretty good, actually." Combeferre smiles at Courfeyrac. "I'll make us some coffee and cup some of that strawberry sponge cake. What would you like to drink?"

"I don't mind, as long as you're the one making it," Courfeyrac replies. "But maybe put some strawberry syrup in. I've decided that it's a strawberry kind of afternoon."

Making their coffee, Combeferre sets their cups on a tray with two slices of cake, sending it floating upstairs before offering Courfeyrac his hand. Beaming, Courfeyrac takes it and they walk upstairs together, both unable to stop smiling.

The corner that Jehan has picked out for them is private and tucked away, and feels even more secluded for the fact that there's nobody else upstairs.

"You know," Courfeyrac breathes against Combeferre's lips. "I've always wondered if your kisses taste like your magic."

"You'll have to tell me," Combeferre replies, pulling Courfeyrac into a kiss. He can taste strawberries and cream in Courfeyrac's kiss but beneath that is something else—something familiar, like the way Courfeyrac smells when he comes to the café.

"You teleport here," Combeferre realises, breaking their kiss to stare at Courfeyrac in wonder. "You can teleport. That's incredibly rare, and remarkable."

Courfeyrac grins. "I'd argue that being able to concentrate enough to spread your magic and multitasking as much as you do is more impressive."

"You can _teleport_ , Courfeyrac," Combeferre says breathlessly. "You can go anywhere you want, and you come here."

"Because I want to come here," Courfeyrac replies. "Because I want to see you."

Combeferre kisses Courfeyrac again, harder this time.

"This is bad," Courfeyrac laughs. "I don't think I'm going to be able to drink your coffee without thinking about kissing you."

"Really?"

"Mm. Kiss me again."

Combeferre is only too happy to comply.


End file.
